In From the Cold
by Valora Holmes
Summary: There were two people left to be sorted when the name Evangeline Potter was called, and that wasn't her and it wasn't James. She was Angel Harmony, wasn't she? Angel was always a freak, for as long as she could remember, could a new school offer more than a fresh start? Serena Potter Re-write, but is new in its own right.
1. Chapter 1

**General Disclaimer:**I have no ownership of anything that is recognisable as belonging to the Harry Potter Universe, as it belongs to JK Rowling.

**Prologue**

Struggling to believe that this was happening I pinched my arm.

"Ouch!"

Well at least I knew I was awake, and not dreaming. After spending most of my childhood in that godforsaken place, with only books for friends anything that didn't fit the pattern could be a hallucination or a dream.

Oh I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Angel, or at least that's what they call me. I am eleven and I am a child of the state, meaning that I have no one who wants to look after me; but then that's understandable considering the fact that I am a freak. I always have been, well for as long as I can remember; unexplainable things happen around me, and I have no control over it.

Today is September 1st, and I'm being sent away; they've found a boarding school for freaks like me. The other kids have been teasing, telling me that the adults have finally decided to get me institutionalised, (don't mock my use of big words, when all you have to do is read, big words become almost normal). The adults brought me into London yesterday, and one of my new teachers, Professor Sprout, took me shopping for all of my school things. She's the sort of lady that any kid dreams their mother should be.

And now I stand beyond the barrier of Platform Nine and Three Quarters about to embark upon the biggest adventure of my short life.

**Chapter 1**

Angel joined a compartment of four boys, following the advice of the Professor: go and talk to people, Her thoughts had been along the lines of 'what`s the worst that could happen?'

The four of them were also first years, although they had previous knowledge of the world that she was about to enter. Apparently there was a big thing about 'blood status' kicking off, but none of the boys seemed to care that she couldn`t pin point whether she was pure or muddy. None of them had met before and were all beginning the journey of new friendships, so invited her to join.

There was James Potter, a tall boy with unruly dark hair; Sirius Black, just as tall as James with dark windswept curls; Remus Lupin, he was slightly shorter than James, and looked a little too thin and a little too pale; and finally there was Peter Pettigrew, he was the shortest of the group, seemed to be a little hunched over and had a very pointed face.

She knew not to judge people from her first impressions, she'd been judged far too often by people who were supposed to know better. She learned a lot about the school they were going to, and for the first time she wasn't called a freak, or special, she was just plain Angel, and she was a witch.

-_HP_-

It had gotten dark as the train had made its way to the school. As the landscape changed Angel imagined that the school was hidden in the highlands of Scotland. The boys shrugged on their black robes on over their 'muggle' ("Non-magic folk Angie") clothing, so Angel slipped hers overtop of the smart dress she'd been bought.

They'd pulled into a darkened station, Sirius and James decided to make sure that Angel didn't go missing in the crowds. Taking an arm each they pulled her with them as they headed towards the calls of "Firs' Years". The other students were all heading in a different direction, but they continued to follow the voice. Angel began thinking that they were following the pied piper as they followed the growing group of first years out of the station and into the woodland; she was rather worried that they were all going to be taken away and never seen again.

The wooded pathway opened out upon the edge of a lake, in the moonlight the water looked almost like a mirror to the worlds above. There were a number of boats waiting on the shoreline. The Gamekeeper, for that was who Angel had decided he was, told them to jump into the boats. but no more than five to a group. Once everyone was safely aboard the Gamekeeper took his own boat, and with a pink umbrella ordered the boats forwards. They began to glide further from the shore, and once they were out of the shelter of the cove the Castle stood majestically before them. It was a glowing beacon in the darkness of the night.

Remus offered his hand to Angel as a help out of the boat, while Peter decided it was his turn to take her arm and walk her up to the castle from the boat sheds. Once they were gathered at the bottom of the stairs, warm inside the castle, Angel slipped her arm from Peter. She prefered to keep her limbs to herself; it was nice of the boys to be sweet to her, almost like all of those books that she'd spent her time reading, but it was going to take a lot of time to get used to them.

As a large group the first years were all lead into the Great Hall, where all of the other students were sitting patiently. There was a stool in front of the High Table, with a black witches hat sitting atop. It looked old and worn, and while Angel studied it, the hat began to sing. It told a tale of how the founders had built the school from the ground up and had intended it to be a safe have to all of those who were in possession of magic. It was a very moving song, and a round of applause was given when it finished.

One of the Professors began calling names to the front, each person would take his or her place upon the stool and place the hat upon their heads. Each name was called alphabetically; Angel's name was missed during the H's, and she began to worry that she had just been sent to the school to be disposed of. Angel and James were the last two people left, the furthest they had reached in the alphabet was P this year.

"Potter, Evangeline"

Angel didn't move, even when the whole school was looking at her. There were murmurs of 'Potter?', 'Don't they have a son?', 'Only child?'.

James looked at her, and saw how scared she was. He reached out to her.

"Angel?"

"I'm Angel Harmony, not a Potter." she whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The professor heard Angel's words and signalled a message to the headmaster. It wasn't often known for children to appear in the castle uninvited. The headmaster rose from his seat and began towards the two children and the professor; while he walked, he thought on the possible explainations for the child being in the castle. Obviously the child had magic or else she wouldn't have seen the castle, never mind have been able to enter of her own free will; or did she? She did look like she had made some fast friends, had one of the boys guided her through the doors, therefore not allowing the ancient magic to transport her back to the place where she truly belonged, if such was the case. Could it be that there had been a slight mistake in the magic that registered the list of children to attend; but surely that same magic would have misaddressed the letter which invited her to the castle, and she would not have come.

It had been known, in the history of the school, for muggle born children to sneak siblings to school with them, especially if only one of twins had the magical gene. But what had not occurred was a student missing the register for sorting, not intentionally, and parents would owl ahead if their child would be late. This was a novel occasion, a student missing, and another unregistered. It would be wrong to ask the child to perform magic; it was expected, even of the pureblooded families, that children arrive at the school completely untrained.

This girl did not look as if she had known any of the other students who had been sorted; and there was no one in the hall who looked to be praying that the sorting hat would sort the girl too. Therefore the headmaster had to conclude that the girl was in the school from other means, there was little around to suggest that she was the sister of another student.

The hall had gone silent, everyone's eyes were on the two first years; those from the magical world knew who James was, but who was the girl?

Was she some sort of spy from the other schools, been caught out early? The muggles were always spying on one another, maybe it was spilling over in some places. Could it be she was from Russia, sent to learn their secrets, their weaknesses, so that her elder Durmstrang brothers could bring them down?

Or could she be a muggle? a squib even?

Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster, was rounding the end of the staff table when the questions were answered.

-_HP_-

He could feel her panic radiating off her, he felt it almost as if it were his own. He wasn't about to let his new friend be taken away from him if it was only for the sake of a missing piece of paper. James had grasped Angel's hand in his, almost as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and had begun to lead them to the professor and the sorting hat.

"It's probably just a misunderstanding, you know someone in the office sent your letter and forgot to put you on the list. Magic isn't perfect you know." He tried to be reassuring, but knew that she was feeling a little too helpless at the moment for his words to make much difference.

They stepped in sync, and as their right feet touched the first of the stairs, to the elevated table, the sorting hat flew towards them. The professor in charge of the sorting appeared to have no control over it.

Together they reached out to catch it, but it never fell. Hovering before them it began to speak, its voice ringing through the hall as clear as a bell.

"It seems that neither of you know the truth, how can that be?

"You stand before me as instant friends, but have you not yet wondered why you are so comfortable in each other's company? Not yet considered that there might be something more than an instant friendship?

"I do suppose that you haven't had the chance to look in a mirror before you arrived here. Professors? Can you see the similarity? Not made by pure coincidence.

"Daughter, where did you grow up?"

She took a moment, she'd never seen magic before she arrived at the castle, and now it wanted her to spill her deepest, darkest secrets to the world; a world who she had previously vowed wouldn't know her past so not to judge her upon it. "In care" her voice no louder than a whisper, "I'm a child of the state."

"Oh, my child, they never managed to find you in time, did they? Son, did your mother tell you the reason she and your father don't talk?"

"She said it was something that happened eleven years ago, something that didn't matter anymore." James gave in answer.

curiosity was beginning to eat at them, it was infectious; every ear in that hall was open to what was going on.

"Minerva, you remember your friend Dorea. And how happy she was eleven years ago, at the prospect of finally having _children_."

-_HP_-

Silence reigned supreme, the Professor had the blankest look upon her face. All eyes had turned to watch Professor McGonagall. The students listened with attentive ears, anyone in that room could tell that there was a scandal to be uncovered that evening.

There was a little girl at the back of the hall paying particular interest. She was a sixth year Ravenclaw, and much like her sister enjoyed having the scopp on everything and anything that was going on. Miss Serenity Skeeter would make sure her sister had the story ready for print before the Prophet could even here a whisper; sisters looked out for each other, afterall blood was thicker than water.

"Children?" she whispered, trying to figure it out. She was usually quite good at understanding what the sorting hat was trying to convey, its songs every year were a riddle to many, but Minerva understood them to be so much more; either a prophecy of happy times or a warning to the masses. But this time she was at a loss.

Minerva had been the first person whom Dorea had confided in all those years ago. She'd held her friend as the tears of joy and anguish flowed. Dorea had struggled with her marriage from the beginning, and now worried that it was too late to save it.

"Children, children, children. But she only had one... She came to the castle with one child... One... Oh mother of Merlin. She said she was having children, two twins, but only showed up with One. Was only ever seen with one." The outburst was a little louder than intended, but it was heard by everybody. Serenity was making a mental note, the first thing she would do this evening would be to pen the letter to her sister, Rita Skeeter would be a household name in the morning.

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**A/N:** _Thank you for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoy how the story is going so far._

_Just a little note to inform you of the twitter account which I have set up to go with my account. RedPatchwork_

_Please check it out. x_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Sister Dearest_

_I do hope you are enjoying your new desk job at the Daily Prophet. What is it you do again? Spell check? I am joking, I know your job is a little more important than that, but were you not the one complaining that the Editor is making little use of your journalisic skills?_

_You were complaining all summer that there hasn't been any good stories, nothing to really sink your teeth into, so to speak. Well I've got something that might just wow the Editor. I haven't been able to collect much, but that Quick Quotes Quill Father bought you should be able to fill in some of the blanks._

_I know you think you're above the likes of the Hogwarts rumour mill, but this comes straight from the horse's mouth so to speak..._

_Do you remember, about eleven years ago there was a terrible happening in the Potter Family? Mummy thought it was so terrible that she refused to speak to Dorea or Charlus at all, you'll have been about eleven yourself._

_There should be some record of things in the Ministry, if not, there'll be snippets in the Prophet Archieves, even ask Mum. __I've done some digging, I asked a couple of the portaits and ghosts._

_There's a second Potter child here at Hogwarts. And she doesn't even know who she is, grew up a child of the state, a muggle orphan._

_Charlus Potter had an affair with one of his secretaries, some European woman; not sure what was wrong with his marriage, he married a Black after all. Anyway he got his wife and his secretary knocked up at the same time. It's all they would tell me; but there's got to be something about this story._

_We all know of James Potter, but there's this girl. Calling herself Angel Harmony, but the Book has her registered as Evangeline Potter._

_I hope this helps._

_Lots of Love  
Serenity x_

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_Thank you once again for reading, check out my homepage for more about 'In from the Cold' x_


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